Balloons
Since 2013, the balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade have come in two varieties. The first (and older of the two) is the novelty balloon class, consisting of smaller balloons which range widely in size and are handled by between one and thirty people (some shaped like human heads that fit on the actual heads of the handlers). The second and more widely known is the full-size balloon class, primarily consisting of licensed pop-culture characters; each of these is handled by exactly 90 people. From 2005 to 2012, a third balloon class, the "Blue Sky Gallery," transformed the works of contemporary artists into full-size balloons. Replacing the live animals that had been used in early Macy's Parades, balloons were introduced to the event in 1927 by Tony Sarg, a marionette maker from London who had moved to New York City to perform with his puppets on the street. Originally built by the Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, then by Kemp Balloons,since 1984, balloons have been built by Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based Raven Industries' "Aerostar" division. In 1990 Macy's collaborated with Bigger than Life to produce the Bart Simpson Balloon in 1990 The following is a list of balloons that have, over the years, been featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, sorted by their first year in the lineup. 1930s introductions * Felix the CatMacy's has officially stated that Felix, the first character balloon in the parade, was introduced in 1927. * Mama, Papa and Baby * Mickey MouseA second balloon of Mickey appeared in 1972, and two additional versions were made in the 2000s, one portraying him as a bandleader and the other depicting him as a sailor. * Horace Horsecollar * Eddie Cantor * The Marx Brothers * Donald DuckA second balloon of Donald was introduced in 1962. * Nantucket Sea MonsterLongest balloon to ever appear in parade * Christmas Stocking * Uncle Sam * The Tin Man * Pinocchio * Santa Claus 1940s introductions * Hippo * SupermanSuperman's balloon was redesigned into the "Football Player" balloon in 1941. Superman later returned with a new balloon in 1966, then a third balloon of the character - one of the largest to ever appear in the parade- was used in the 1980s. * The Football Player * Bobo the Hobo * Acrobat * Teddy Bear * Pumpkin * Ice Cream Cone * Baseball Player * Panda Bear * Pilgrim Father * Pirate * Police Officer * Elf Gnome * Fireman * Toy Soldier 1950s introductions * The Dachshund * Lucky Pup * Mighty Mouse * Flying Fish * Spaceman * Popeye 1960s introductions * Happy DragonThe original Happy Dragon is the longest-lasting balloon ever to appear in the parade, with twenty-four appearances * Bullwinkle J. MooseA second version of Bullwinkle's balloon, pairing him with his friend/sidekick Rocky, was used in the mid- and late 1990s. * Sinclair Oil Dinosaur * Elsie the Cow * Linus The Lionhearted * Underdog * Smokey Bear * SnoopySnoopy has had more variants made than any other character, with seven in total. He first appeared as an aviator, then became an astronaut in 1969 to promote the Apollo 11 space program. In the 1980s, two versions of Snoopy were made: an "Ice Skating" version and a "Winter" version, the latter of which paired him with his buddy Woodstock. A fifth version was launched in 1999 to herald in the new millennium; this was given a minor alteration in 2001 to honor the parade's 75th anniversary. In 2007, a sixth Snoopy balloon was made, based on his "Flying Ace" alter ego. The most recent Snoopy balloon, again pairing him with Woodstock, was introduced in 2013. 1970s introductions * Smiley Face * Weebles * Kermit the FrogAfter the original was retired, a second balloon of the character was launched in the 2000s. 1980s introductions * Olive Oyl * Woody WoodpeckerWidest balloon in parade history * Yogi Bear * Garfield * Raggedy Ann * Betty Boop * Ornament Novelty Balloons * Humpty Dumpty * Baby Shamu * Ice Cream Cone Novelty * Spider-Man * Ronald McDonaldRonald has appeared in four versions since he was introduced to the parade. In his first, he was holding balloons; in his second, he was normal; in his third, he was wearing a scarf and ice skates, and in his fourth, he was wearing a tuxedo version of his usual costume. * Snuggle Bear * Big Bird * Quik Bunny * The Pink Panther * Bugs Bunny 1990s introductions * Clifford the Big Red Dog * Bart Simpson * Babar the Elephant * Novelty Pumpkins * Santa Goofy * Beethoven the Dog * Sonic the HedgehogA second balloon of the character was made in 2011, based on a redesign introduced after the original balloon was retired. * [[Rex the Dinosaur|Rex from We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story]] * Izzy * Wiggle Worm * Cloe the Holiday Clown * Barney the Dinosaur * The Cat in the Hat * Dudley the Dragon * FujiFilm's Blimp * SkyDancer * Eben Bear * Rocky and Bullwinkle * Peter Rabbit * Arthur * Rugrats * Bumpé * Petula Pig * Babe the Pig * Wild Thing * Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory * Honey Nut Cheerios Bee * Blue 2000s introductions * Jeeves * Dragon Tales' Cassie * Curious George * PikachuThree balloons have been made for the parade, one showing Pikachu flying, another with him chasing a PokeBall, and a third with him holding a Pikachu snowman * Jimmy Neutron * Cheesasaurus Rex * Charlie Brown * Little Bill * Mr. Monopoly * Super Grover * Chicken Little * "Red" and "Yellow" M&M's * SpongeBob SquarePants * Kit, Charlie and C.J. * Dora the Explorer * JoJo from JoJo's Circus * 80th Anniversary Hot Air Balloon * Macy's Yellow Stars * Abby Cadabby * Hello Kitty * Shrek * Smurf * Buzz Lightyear * Horton the Elephant * Green Believe Star * Pillsbury Doughboy 2010s introductions * Greg Heffley * [[Po from Kung Fu Panda|Po from Kung Fu Panda]] * Virginia O'Hanlon * Julius the Sock Monkey * Gazer Elf * Toothless the Dragon * The Wizard of Oz 75th Anniversary Hot Air Balloon * Adventure Time with Finn and Jake * Thomas the Tank Engine * Paddington BearOriginally appeared as a falloon in the 1990's * Red Mighty Morphin' Power Ranger * Eruptor (Skylanders) * [[Ice Age's Scrat and his Acorn|Scrat from Ice Age]] * [[Angry Birds' Red|Red from Angry Birds]] * DreamWorks' Trolls * [[Jett from Super Wings|Jett from Super Wings]] * The Grinch * [http://macysthanksgiving.wikia.com/wiki/Chase_from_Paw_Patrol Chase from PAW Patrol] * [http://macysthanksgiving.wikia.com/wiki/Olaf Olaf from Frozen] * [[The Christmas Chronicles|Fleck, Bjorn, JoJo & Hugg from The Christmas Chronicles]] * [[Goku from Dragon Ball|Goku from Dragon Ball]] TBA for the 93rd Parade in 2019. Blue Sky Gallery entries * "Humpty Dumpty" by Tom Otterness (2005-2006) * "Rabbit" by Jeff Koons (2007) * "Figure with Heart" by Keith Haring (2008) * "Kaiki and Kiki" by Takashi Murakami (2010) * "B" by Tim Burton (2011) * "Companion" by KAWS (2012) * "Little Cloud" by FriendsWithYou (2018) See also * Falloon - Float-based balloons. * Balloonicle - Self-powered balloon vehicles. Notes Category:Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Category:Parade Features